Top 10 Times Friends Tackled Serious Issues

As much as we’d like to say the world has matured, there still seems to be some hesitation from guys when it comes to showing affection with each other. In popular media, men are often portrayed as having to be macho, and show little emotion. But when it comes to the show “Friends”, the opposite seems to be true, especially where Chandler and Joey are concerned. These two best friends were seen hugging it out on countless occasions over the show’s ten year history. It’s a nice illustration of how “Friends” could be willing to go against norms and embrace what true friendship can be about.

One of the more memorable plotlines on “Friends” was Phoebe’s selfless act of carrying Frank & Alice’s babies. The idea of having Phoebe become pregnant came out of the real-life pregnancy of Lisa Kudrow. Producers wanted to find a way to incorporate her pregnancy into the show and the surrogacy plot made the most sense. Along with touching on the real life struggles of couples trying to conceive, it also speaks to unconventional family beginnings. Surrogacy, adoption, and even one night stands all played roles in kicking off families while this show was on the air.

To the surprise of many, season eight introduced Rachel’s pregnancy. With Ross being the father, there was never any doubt he would be part of Rachel’s journey. However, with no romantic relationship between them, and no prospects in sight, we got a glimpse into the life of a single mother. The first inclination of this was when Janice spoke about her own experience raising a child on her own. From there, the show managed to find a way to convey the difficulties of Rachel’s solo journey. Thankfully, she’s surrounded by both friends and family who are more than willing to tell her “We’ll be there for you”.

Three and a half minutes into the pilot of Friends, we meet Rachel Green. She’s a woman who’s spent her life living off her parents and had decided to marry into money. When her wedding day finally arrives, a gravy boat triggers an epiphany about her life, and she walks away from it all. Having relied on everyone else to sustain her, Rachel’s decision to abandon all of that and go out on her own is one that many people can relate to. It can be incredibly scary to walk away from all of that in favor of doing what feels right for you. Go Rachel!

The world of 2001 was a considerably different place in terms of how transgender issues were discussed and portrayed on screen. We learned early on that Chandler’s dad had left his mom for the pool boy. When we finally meet Chandler’s father, played by Kathleen Turner, the character is headlining a drag show in Vegas as “Helena Handbasket”. It was arguably an inclusive move for its time. However, the show did tend to poke fun at Chandler’s dad, and admittedly the portrayal has not aged particularly well. We’re glad we’ve come a long way since then!

Back in the second season of Friends, we were introduced to Monica’s younger self when Joey exclaimed: [“Some girl ate Monica”]. Although implied earlier in the series, we finally saw what a younger version of Monica looked like. However, it wasn’t until the Thanksgiving flashback episode that we saw what Monica was put through. Chandler refers to her as “fat”, which badly damages her confidence. “Friends” has been roundly criticized for its “fat” jokes, for good reason. But this episode did show us how hurtful someone’s words could be in relation to body image. Kudos to the writers for showing us this more vulnerable side to Monica.

Years ago, the idea of a family consisted of a husband, a wife, and their kids. As time has passed, the so-called “nuclear family” is no longer the norm. Like many shows from the 90s, Friends also chose to embrace the idea of non-traditional family types. The fact that the six friends themselves are so close makes them more akin to family than many blood relatives. Beyond that, it also gave us a blended family with Ross’s son. Ben became the child of two mothers and a father; something rarely seen on television at the time. Coming from an era that was less accepting of such things, this was a more modern direction to examine the family unit.

Since Friends focused so much time on the coffee house, it was rare to see them drinking something other than a latte. Yet, when Monica gets back together with her old boyfriend “Fun Bobby”, somehow they burn through five bottles of wine. It’s here where they discover that Bobby is only fun because of how much he drinks. Once he’s dry, Chandler quips that he’s now [ “ridiculously dull Bobby”]. Despite his now tamer demeanour, we were glad to see Bobby taking the right steps on the road to becoming sober.

Today, the idea of same-sex marriage is nowhere near as controversial as it would have been in 1996. Surprisingly though, Carol and Susan’s wedding episode didn’t actually make that much of a blip on the blowback radar. Only two network stations prohibited the episode from being aired - one in Texas and the other in Ohio - and NBC received just four complaints via telephone. Regardless, it was still groundbreaking territory at the time. Even so early on in the show’s run, the producers embraced the idea that love is … well, love! Carol and Susan gave us a great example of this.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Messy Divorces
Several of the Main Characters Experience How Messy Divorces Can Be

Gender Stereotypes
It’s Just a Doll Ross. Get Over It!

Breakups
It’s Hard to Watch on TV & Harder in Real Life

When Monica and Chandler decided to have a baby, few could have expected the story to turn out as it did. We find out late in the season that due to medical reasons, they may not ever be able to conceive a child. Although there are many couples who could relate to this already, it was also a case of art imitating life. Courtney Cox, who played Monica, had experienced fertility issues with her then husband David Arquette. Thankfully, Monica and Chandler choose to adopt. Meanwhile, Courtney gave birth to her daughter Coco Arquette a year later.